A chance for Darcy
by Imgonnaneedabiggermouth
Summary: Very AU. Darcy is a recently graduated writer living with her three best friends in jolly old England. Loki is the hottest romance writer of his day. What happens when the Darcy meet's him by sheer coincidence and he saves her from some skinheads? Rated M for language so far.
1. In Which Mrs Rhyder takes a fall

Loki Odinson was a name that stayed in your mind even if you had never picked up one of his novels. He had constant press, adoring fans, and a never-ending imagination. Loki was an idol in the media's eye. His stunning albeit unconventional good looks intrigued a majority of his readers. While his skill with words kept them groveling for more. At the moment he was working on a book that was to be the final chapter in a trilogy of heart-wrenching romance novels, as was his forte. However, the media had a constant struggle discovering gossip about his romance life. As far as his readers knew, he had never once dated a woman. A fact that kept so many of his fan's enraptured. In some ways an untainted man was their sexual fantasy. However, he was nearing thirty-two, an age that made people start to wonder. He had his mind set, he would find a lady, and preferably date her. It couldn't be that hard, could it?

Darcy Lewis sat in the dusty old book store on the outskirts of London. Her aunt had sent her a book entitled Romance while the Roses die, some sappy novel all the women ages 16-57 ate up. Well, according to the newest London demographic that is. She had seen the interviews with the author. He had a silly name, she had to glance at the front of the book to remind herself. Loki Odinson. Geez, he sounded like some quirky Scottish musician. Darcy began reading the first chapter, and was totally taken aback. This was an amazing novel. She had expected passionate love-making underneath the moonlight, people ate that stuff up. But this, this had feeling. How was this written by some lonely virgin? That had to be a lie, you couldn't _make_ something like this without experience. She bookmarked the page and went to tidy up, at least it was something to do that kept her mind off how long it had been since she dated.

"Darcy, Dear, did you happen to see my spectacles any-," The owner of the store, Mrs. Ryder, took this moment to clumsily fall right over the stool Darcy had just been reading on.

"Holy crap, are you alright?" Darcy rushed over to the elderly woman who still laid on the floor. "Oh my god." Darcy stared breathlessly as Mrs. Ryder remained silent. She ran back to the checkout and grabbed the phone. "Hello! Yes my boss fell over and she hasn't gotten up."

One stretcher later, Mrs. Ryder was hoisted up, a crease in her eyebrows, but still breathing. Darcy felt horrible, Mrs. Ryder was such a kind old lady, she had never given Darcy pains for forgetting to alphabetize the new shipments or made a fuss when Darcy played music. The EMT interviewed her, and she explained how the old lady had taken a tumble. Luckily it was nothing serious, but Darcy knew it had been partly her fault. Returning to the old dusty shop, Darcy locked up after she swept. She would visit Mrs. Ryder tomorrow.

It was usually an enjoyable ride back to her apartment, with the breeze in her hair, and the constellations above. But tonight it felt different, not just because of Mrs. Ryder, but like something was coming. She made it to her apartment, which was nestled in an older district, one filled with the elderly and gardens. She shared her apartment with her best friend Jane and a gay couple. But in all honesty, they were like one big family. Tony and Steve were so nice, and even stopped by the book store whenever they required literature. Darcy dragged her bike up the front steps of the old shackled house. It had ivy crawling over the west entryway, and pots of bleeding hearts, Steve said were gorgeous. The backyard was entirely his domain, filled with bells of Ireland and white verbena. They also kept an herb garden which they used to keep their restaurant well-stocked. Unlocking the door, Darcy pulled her old bike into the narrow hallway. The walls were decorated with pictures of the four friends. One of Steve and Tony in New York on vacation, and one of the most notable, of Jane and her Boyfriend at the time cuddled up on the small couch watching the notebook with tears streaming down his face. Darcy had been particularly proud of that snapshot. "Hello!?" She called out to the yelling she heard upstairs. They called the house "The Apartment" even though it was just a tall narrow house made for a family of 4. With her question, the yelling suddenly stopped and there was a shuffling of movement and whispers. "What's going on?" She ascended the small rickety wooden staircase. The second level had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. How it all fit on that floor was beyond Darcy, it was cramped, but comfortable. The walls were all eclectic colors, and barely an inch wasn't decorated in some way. She peered into Steve and Tony's immaculate bedroom. The lights were off, nobody in there apparently. She moved on to Jane's room, almost as clean as S & T's room, but not quite. They had to be in her room, but why? She gingerly turned on the lights, a glaze of fear washing over her. They weren't here. Suddenly the phone rang, Darcy jumped. Picking it up slowly she breathed a hello. There was heavy breathing. She loved horror movies, but being in one felt like a nightmare.

"Nice house you have here. So quaint." The voice was muffled and Darcy's breath hitched in her throat.

"Jesus Christ." She whispered in horror.

"Hell no, that isn't me." The voice broke out in familiar laughter and Darcy's bit her lip in an angry frown.

"Tony, I swear to God, I am going to kill you." She gazed as the attic door opened, her three friends grinning down at her.

"Surprise!" The three yelled.

"Oh, and on what occasion?" She asked, still a little peeved by their prank.

"You graduating, of course." Steve smiled in his familiar way. "By the way, I was against the prank." He put his hands up.

"Uhh, I graduated a month ago." Darcy ascended the stairs to take in the newly renovated attic. The floors, were done in wood a few shades brighter than the rest of the house, but it looked amazing.

"Do you like it?" Asked Jane, her smile was wide.

"Poorly concealed gift for yourselves, but I think it is perfect." Darcy explored the new floor. An impressive telly sat in the corner, across from a large couch that doubled as a bed.

"Maybe you should look at the DVD collection before you go making us out to be so selfish." Tony pointed to the cabinet. It was filled with her favorite movies, Practical Magic, Pride and Prejudice, and even some TV shows. She turned back to her friends and pulled them into a hug as she thanked them.

"We also brought dinner home, so we can settle down up here with some food and entertainment." Steve ran downstairs to come back up with the delicious smelling dishes in takeout bags. They popped in Pride and Prejudice, and sat down to enjoy good food and friends.

The next morning Darcy awoke with two pairs of feet in her lap. Tony and Steve were entangled on the other side of the couch, and Jane must have gone back to bed before passing out. She brought down her dishes from last night and took a shower before heading to work. Steve and Tony usually didn't get up until 12, and Jane was already at her job. Darcy guessed she could have been more supportive, but Jane's job was so bland and sciency. Right now, Darcy was securing a job writing for a local travel magazine on the side. She unlocked and took care of the customers that stopped in the bookstore. The rush died down as it always did around 3, so she decided to close up for an hour to visit Mrs. Rhyder. She quickly filled in the sign, be back in 1:00 hr. and hung it on the door to the shop. She took a cab to the closest hospital. It was weird, there were so many news vans in front of it. Somebody important must have gotten hurt. She pushed past security and told the front desk she was here to visit Mrs. Rhyder.

"I'm sorry Ma'm, but I will need some identification." Darcy's eyebrows knit together as she pulled out her license. Man, security was tight these days. "Yes," The receptionists eyes lightened. "Mrs. Rhyder said you would come. Be sure to tell her Grandson I'm a big fan." She shook a little in excitement. What the hell? Mrs. Rhyder must have one important Grandson. She made it to the third floor, which was a bustle of static emotions and fast moving orderly's, but, it didn't seem to be a bad rush, just one of excitement. Darcy went to the room number she was given. A tall man with raven hair had his back to her. He was tall, and Darcy had to look up at him when she passed by. Oh my God. She froze. This was that author, what's his name.

"Oh Hello." He turned to her, his eyes full of worry. "You must be Miss Lewis." He held out a hand.

"Yes, and you are…" She waited for him to respond. Something flashed behind his eyes, surprise maybe? Intrigue?

"I am Loki, her Grandson." Darcy looked over to her boss, who laid in her hospital bed with amused eyes and a smile, watching their interaction. Darcy looked back to Loki as she situated herself beside Mrs. Rhyder. He had a button-up green shirt and a tawny blazer with leather elbow-pads. Brown framed glasses sat on his long nose, and his eyes were emerald green underneath. Darcy could see why women were so enthralled by him.

"I bet you didn't know I had such a famous Grandson." Mrs. Rhyder grinned like a Cheshire cat.


	2. In which Darcy meets Loki

"Loki, how rude of you not to take her coat." Mrs. Rhyder chided at her Grandson.

"No, it's fine." Darcy pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders. She felt weird being so close to such a famous man. She thought she would feel nervous, but she had a fluttering in her stomach that wasn't unwelcome at all. He wasn't threatening, his height was negated by the look in his eyes. He looked sad, like his stardom was a curse. Darcy felt like snorting at this sad celebrity, that was an oxymoron right? Celebrities never had need to be sad with all the money they made. His Grandmother was ok, just a crack in her pelvis. It wasn't like anyone was dying. She would be out of the hospital in a week. Darcy regretted not reading more of the gossip magazines Jane left lying about. Maybe something bad had happened to him recently. Usually Darcy didn't care about other people's personal lives. People could do whatever they wanted to, no use stopping them. Suddenly there was a huge crash in the hallway breaking her train if thought. Loki peeked out of the room and Darcy watched him from behind. It _definitely_ couldn't be relationship problems. Not with a butt like that. She had to flick her eyes up quickly as he turned around, his face blanched of color.

"Grandmother, I am so sorry, but it seems the tyrants have invaded our fortress." Mrs. Rhyder smiled at his joke and gave him a kiss goodbye. "And to you Ms. Lewis, farewell." He shook her hand again before running out of the room, his legs carrying him down the long hallway. As if on cue, a rush of photographers ran by the door, their eyes set ahead as their target left the building. Some gave up and walked back the way they came, sparring a glance in the room he had been in. Their eyes lit up and were able to take a few shots of a thoroughly confused Darcy before being shooed off by the security.

"Oh dear." Mrs. Rhyder laughed. "I hope you're excited about being on the front page."

Darcy arrived back at work just as her mobile phone vibrated in her pocket. She picked it up and she got a disgruntled Tony on the other end.

"Yeah, so when are you going to tell me why the entire porch it loaded with photographers? It's like a zombie apocalypse over here. When did you become famous?" Darcy explained the earlier situation and Tony sighed. It wasn't in his character to get so frustrated.

"Long day?" Darcy asked, loading a pile of classics into a display case on the second floor of the cramped shop.

"Steve got in a fight with a customer over me." She could hear Tony shove the paparazzi aside and their clamoring.

"Steve? The man with the garden and a pet kitten named Button?" Darcy smiled at the thought of him fighting.

"Some guy complained about the food and apparently I was too sarcastic for his liking. Steve came out when the guy pushed me and broke the man's nose. We had to go to the station downtown and give our statements. It was pretty stressful and we had to leave the restaurant in Clint's hands."

"I would say that was romantic if you didn't sound so pissed." Darcy heard the jingle of a customer downstairs.

"The man had the balls to press charges so we had to sort it all out. But come to think of it, it was sort of cute watching my man's fist connect with that douche bags nose." Darcy could tell he was smiling and the background voices of the reporters faded. "Anyway, I'm inside. See you tonight." Tony hung up and Darcy slipped her mobile phone back into her pocket. She looked over the banister curiously at the customer below. Her eyes widened, how was he here? That unmistakable head of raven-colored hair could only belong to one person. Loki was a sneaky bastard. Suddenly she was nervous, the bold Darcy Lewis was nervous to greet her boss' Grandson.

"Hello?" His voice carried up to her ears and she mustered the courage to descend the stairs.

"Hey, Mr. Odinson." She smiled down at him.

"Please, call me Loki." He grinned. Darcy noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Damn, she was falling for this author hook line and sinker.

"Well, Loki, how can I help you?" She met him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm helping out for the rest of the week, if you don't mind." He gave her a polite nod. "With Gran out, I thought I would step in.

"Not at all, maybe I could learn a few things from such an amazing writer as yourself."

"You've read my books?"

"No," She blurted out the truth before thinking about how rude it would sound. "B-but I started one of them a few days ago." She gave an apologetic smile.

"You may be the only woman I know who hasn't read any of my books." He looked intrigued instead of offended. "Would you like to go out for coffee?" He asked out of the blue.

Darcy could only nod as she was speechless for a few seconds. "I would love to."

"Great!" He grinned again. "How about I pick you up tomorrow before work?"

"Actually," Darcy bit her lip and she watched Loki's eyes follow. "The house is surrounded by reporters since the hospital incident."

"I'm truly sorry, Darcy." His expression faded to a frown. "I have come to learn a few things about evading them. Would you call in a sighting for me?" He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek black phone and handed it to her. "Speed dial the second number and make a lie up about seeing me." He smiled. "Let's say the other side of the city."

Darcy Smiled back at him and he leaned on the back desk while she dialed. "Hello?" She said into the phone. "Yes, I have information. I saw Loki Odinson touring beside the Thames. Oh my god, you should have seen him he looked so cute in a suit. He may have been on his way to a date." Loki had to cover his mouth from laughing. "Yah, it was an hour ago. If you see him get me an autograph, my name is Michelle Warbler." The name came off the top of her head. "Yeah, thanks, goodbye." She closed the phone and handed it back to him.

"You're an awfully good liar." He commented. "I'm remembering that."

The two spent the rest of the night talking about their favorite books and shows until closing time. A few older customers came in, but didn't seem to notice the celebrity in their midst. One said they were a cute couple and Darcy blushed and Loki just thanked them. He was a lot more fun than she expected. He gave off the exterior of a proper Englishman with charm and poise. But a few hours with him and they were discussing their favorite Doctors. His was David Tennant while hers was Christopher Eccleston. They played some hang-man and generally just hung out. "You know, I've never just spent time with a girl like this." He brought up at one point.

"What you didn't have girlfriends in high school?"

"If you mean girls who are friends then no. I went to an all boys school with my brother." He looked up from the puzzle they were working on.

"Must have been hell, with all those hormones." Darcy immediately regretted bringing up such an awkward subject.

Loki repressed a grin. "I was brought up in a very catholic family, I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16 anyway, even then nobody was interested. Whose attracted to the lonely pale gent with black hair? So I went to college and before you ask, no sex was not my major objective. I finished in three years and began writing in my small loft getting by working in this very shop for two more years until my first book was published."

"Let me get this straight." Darcy clasped her hands on the table. "You have never been in a long-term relationship?"

He looked down in embarrassment. "I always meant to find someone once my career was stable. Now it seems even harder."

"Why?" Darcy asked.

"I'm almost done with a new book and they've been hounding me for a release date, it's like my books are my girlfriends."

"So nobody has ever had the nerve to ask you out?" Darcy was astounded.

"Well, it happened a few time in college, but I was never interested. And since I'm some sort of a celebrity now, how am I supposed to know who likes me for being me. However corny that sounds." He gave a lifeless smile.

"You know, you're pretty outgoing once you get talking." Darcy smiled, stretching out her arms as she stood up.

"I don't really just _talk_ anymore." He stood up as well as Darcy began putting off the lights. They walked to the door together and locked up. The streets we're quiet, except for an occasional couple exploring the outskirts of the city. It was chilly and Darcy was full of excitement. Here she was, walking with a man instead of alone.

"So, coffee tomorrow? He asked, pulling on the flaps to his black fleece coat.

"Oh sure," she pulled a receipt out of her pocket and luckily he had a pen. She wrote down her address and mobile number. "Here ya' go." She handed it to him and he smiled.

"We'll it's been a pleasure talking to you." He shook her hand. Even thought her mittens she could feel his warmth.

"See you tomorrow." He turned around and she began walking rest of the way home. It wasn't very far, and it was smarter leaving her bike so she would have means to get home tomorrow night. The walk was calming, until she reached the pub a few blocks down. There was a slew of drunken men standing outside laughing boorishly. She would have avoided them, but being the stubborn person she was, decided not to. Her phone was gripped in her pocked when it started vibrating. She flipped it open, it was an unknown call. "Hello?" She asked into it.

"Hi Darcy." Loki's voice filled her with ease. "Sorry for calling so soon, but I think you gave me your pen when you handed me the number." Darcy apologized and said to just keep it.

"Hey bitch." One of the drunken men had noticed her coming towards them.

"Uhoh." Darcy murmured into the phone.

"Is something wrong?" Loki asked.

"No, just some drunk guys out front of Daley's pub." Darcy answered.

"Bitch! Come over here." They yelled louder.

"Darcy?" Loki had heard it loud and clear. "Turn around, go back to the shop, I'll take you home."

"No, it's absolutely fine." Darcy gulped, the last thing she wanted to do was trouble Loki.

"Daley Pub?" Loki asked and Darcy murmured a yes.

Meanwhile, the men had moved from their roost beside the pub to move towards her. She wasn't going to deal with these assholes. She stashed her phone in her purse, and turned around.

"Bitch, where ya goin'?" One of them yelled.

"Come back and play." Another put in.

Darcy heard the footsteps gaining on her, and she began walking faster. Shit, she had forgotten her tazer at home. A rough arm grabbed her out of nowhere and pushed her against a brick store front.

"Shouldn't have run, that just makes us want you more." The skinhead laughed. Their breath stank of alcohol. There were about three of them. Darcy tried to punch one, but her fist was caught. "Why ya' wearin' so many layers?" One chuckled as he began pulling off her coat. They roughly shooed her into a small alley way and continued their assault. Darcy squirmed and yelled, but nobody came. When they had shucked off her jacket the cold hit her hard and she began shivering. "Ain't that cute, she's cold." The man's eyes dropped to her breasts. "You got quite the handful there." He smiled ever larger, like he had hit the jackpot. "Skip, you wanna feel them?" The leader called on the youngest one, who hadn't seemed very savvy with what they were doing.

"Fuck, Marcus, we can't just do this." He tried to tug "Marcus" away.

"You're a bloody pansy, watch." Marcus pulled out a switchblade and laid it against Darcy's blouse. Her shallow breathing hitched in her throat and she squirmed even harder than before. "Hold still, don't want me to hurt ya, do you?" He cut open her blouse in one swift movement and shucked it off, leaving her in a dark green lacy bra.

"Screw you!" She yelled, pushing one of them. This time the switchblade landed on her throat.

"Later, baby, have some patience." Marcus' eyes slid down to her breasts. "Fuck, look at these watermelons." He reached down, about to grab a handful when suddenly a car screeched to a halt beside them.

"Step away from her." Said the tall figure who stepped out of the car. He was nearly a foot taller than the rest of them, and towered above. When he came into the street light Darcy recognized those green eyes.

"Who the fuck are you?" Marcus laughed. "Fuckin pretty boy want a piece of our claim?"

Loki's eyes connected with Darcy's and she almost wanted to cry. His eyes were pained and she hated him seeing her like this. His expression changed suddenly, as he kicked Marcus right in his stomach. The skinhead doubled over, the switchblade falling out of his hand. Darcy kicked the knife away to be safe. Skip took the chance to run away, and the other man tried, but Loki pulled him back and punched him square in the face. Marcus tried to take a grab at Loki's legs while on the ground, but Darcy stomped on his hand. It gave her a horrible satisfaction to hear him scream. With the two molesters on the ground wailing, Loki ushered Darcy into his car. He picked up her ruined blouse and coat. When they had settled down, he took off his coat and laid it over her. She thanked him and zipped it up over her bra. He didn't watch out of courtesy. Loki turned up the heat and drove the car away. He put her address in his GPS and began taking her home. He dialed the police and reported the men, then snapped the phone shut.

"Are you alright, they didn't…" He asked a few minutes later.

"No, they only took off my shirt." She felt disgusting, but Loki took on hand off the wheel to rub his hand comfortingly on her arm.

"I'm so sorry, I should have driven you home in the first place."

Darcy managed to make a throaty laugh and his expression became even more pained. "I wouldn't have accepted, I wouldn't have wanted to trouble you."

"Don't be silly, I'm not going to let you go through that ever again." He spoke in a hard voice. She didn't think he could look any angrier.

They pulled up to her house a few minutes later. "Want to come in?" She asked. Darcy was a fighter, but after that experience she had lost some self confidence. All she wanted was to be hugged and surrounded by friends.

"If you want me to." He was being very careful.

She got out and he locked the car, following her. She grabbed at his waist while they made it up the stairs and he held on to her as she unlocked the door. He could see a few tears make their way down her face and he wiped them away with his thumb.

"Darcy?!" She heard Steve's voice from upstairs. He came down the stairs and saw her crying. His face froze and he ran down. "Are you ok? Who the hell is this guy?" He started barking out questions.

"Stop, Steve." She murmured against Loki's shirt.

"Some drunks assaulted her." Loki explained. "I came to help her when I heard them over the phone."

Steve was dumbstruck for a moment, his face frozen in disgust. "Take her to the kitchen, I'll make some tea.

"She lost her shirt." Loki added.

"Her room's up the stairs, the one with the green painted door." Steve told him. Darcy let go of Loki so he could go get her shirt. Steve held her as they went to the kitchen. He sat her down at the table and got to work making her some chai tea with whipped cream, the way she liked it.

Loki came downstairs with one of Darcy's over-sized sleep shirts and handed it to her. She unzipped his jacket and handed it to him. He politely kept his eyes away. She put on the shirt and wiped her eyes with the sleeve. She noticed the side of Loki's shirt was wet with her tears. They looked at each other in silence. His expression was an open book of worry. His anger seemed to have faded off. She scooted her chair over to his and she settled against his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and she stayed awake long enough to drink her tea while he held her. Steve left them alone and dimmed the lights. She fell asleep like that, on the creaky wooden chair nestled in Loki's arms.


	3. In which Loki is happy

Loki carried Darcy to her room an hour later. He had been surprised when a brunette man with meticulously shaved facial hair came downstairs in boxers. "You can stay the night if you want to, Mr. Odinson. Just don't try any funny business with our Darcy." Loki had simply blushed. "I'm Tony by the way. Steve already told me what happened. Darcy's an independent girl, but she needs someone to be there for her. You'll never hear her admit that."

Loki took a shine to this man immediately. His sarcastic sense of humor and lack of shame to be half nude were intriguing. "I assure you, I only did what any proper man would do."

"So you guys aren't dating?" Tony looked over his shoulder from the tea he was making.

"No, we are not." Loki looked down at the girl in his arms. She was too beautiful, she could do better than some awkward romance writer.

"Can I be frank with you?" Tony asked.

"Go ahead." Even though Loki was sure Tony was always frank with people.

"That girl doesn't take any shit from men. I have seen guys serenade her from the window and all she does is close the blinds. She has been waiting for Mr. Right a long time. And here she is sleeping in your arms. I don't know about you, but that looks like definite interest if you ask me." He hopped up on the table and began stirring a mountain of sugar into the drink. He gave a quirky "I told you so" smile.

"Tony." Steve entered the room in boxers too, but at least he had a shirt on.

"Hello my hero." Tony laughed, taking Steve's hand in his and kissing the knuckles. Loki hadn't noticed, but Steve's hand was bandaged. An angry looking white cat padded in the room after him and wove her way through his legs. "He's mine." Tony stuck his tongue out at the cat, who looked up with wide innocent eyes.

"So, you guys getting to know each other?" Steve asked.

"I was just telling him about Darcy." Tony winked in Loki's direction.

"You're a horrible flirt." Steve crossed his arms and sat next to Tony. "You know you can take her up if you want to Mr… uhh. What are we supposed to call you?"

"Loki is fine."

"So you're bloody writer that had us surrounded by the press earlier?" Steve asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. They're usually not so desperate, I just have a new book coming out in a few months." Loki felt bad using these people at his own expense.

"I can't wait." Tony put his hands on his chin and smiled at Loki. "You took too long with this one."

"Tony's a big fan." Steve explained.

"Oh well, thanks." Loki rubbed his neck in embarrassment. Most fan's he had were middle-aged women and young girls. "What time is it?"

"Almost 12:00." Tony answered, looking at the kitchen clock.

"Well, I'm going to take her up, it was nice meeting you two." Loki picked up Darcy and made his way up the stairs, taking care not to wake her up.

"They are cute together." Tony murmured as they watched Loki carry Darcy up.

"I hope they end up dating." Steve smiled at his boyfriend.

"You're such a romantic." Tony planted a kiss on Steve's nose. "So, how does my hero expect to be rewarded this evening?"

"You're so blunt." Steve smiled as he hopped off the counter to put his hands on both sides of Tony.

"If I wasn't you wouldn't know what to do." Tony leaned in to plant a kiss on Steve's lips. Steve moaned as Tony's hands traveled under his shirt to whisper fingertips across his skin. Tony's mouth moved to Steve's neck and he sucked, leaving hickies in its wake.

"I love you." Steve breathed out and Tony pulled away to stare into his eyes.

"I love you." He laughed and gave Steve's butt a loud slap.

Loki laid Darcy on her messy bed. It was huge, covered in pillows. The walls were stapled with posters and a vase of flowers sat on a table. Some bra's were littered on the floor and he took a deep breath. Maybe he shouldn't be here. He was too busy looking around to notice that her eyes had slid open. She moved her body so there was space for two and pulled him down quite forcefully. He didn't resist, even though he knew he should. She laid a leg over his waist and snuggled into his shoulder. She drifted back to sleep and he watched her until he fell asleep himself.

Darcy woke up with a nice surprise. She wasn't alone and Loki's face was pressed against her neck. He snored lightly and his breath tickled her. When did he come upstairs? If he knew what he was doing he would have pulled away immediately, but she liked it. His waist was under her leg, she had always had that habit of propping her leg up while she slept. How was this man so perfect? And why did he bother to talk to her? He didn't act famous. She shook him a bit, just to see his reaction. He was dead to the world. She shook until his eyelid's fluttered open. She looked down as he fuzzily nuzzled closer. A few minutes past and he sat up with a jolt.

"I'm so sorry Darcy. I didn't mean to." His eyes were wide and his hair was messy.

"You didn't do anything. I hardly see cuddling as inappropriate." She laughed. "So about that coffee."

"I haven't showered, do you think I could first before we leave?" He asked sheepishly.

"Through that door, go ahead and use Steve and Tony's shampoo." Loki thanked her and went through the bathroom door.

Darcy used the downstairs bathroom to take a quick shower and came back up to change. Loki was sitting on her bed, his black hair wet and slick against his neck. His pants were on, but he was sliding his arms through his shirt's sleeves. Darcy stood on the doorway a moment to watch. He had seen her in her bra, it was a fair trade. He wasn't at all the lanky pale man she had expected. He had a light tone to all of his muscles. Loki stood up while he buttoned and turned around.

"Do you feel better?" He asked grimly. Darcy noticed his phone laying on the bed.

"I feel a lot better." She smiled. Did he get bad news?

The two left a few minutes later in his car. Since Loki had met her something had changed inside him. He knew it was sudden but, she had swept into his life like a hurricane. Is this the usual way men met women? Last night had been terrifying. Hearing her voice on the phone had nearly undone him. How he had wished he could have made those men and scared as Darcy had been. The feeling of rage was completely foreign to him. Paparazzi were irritating, but there was some fun to it. His life had been childish, written out for him. In the few short hours he knew her she had shown him rage, lust, and infatuation like he had never experienced. He shut his eyes tightly. What was he going to do? And what was he going to do about Sif?


	4. In Which the two take a trip

Movies » Thor » **A chance for Darcy**

Author: Imgonnaneedabiggermouth

Rated: M - English - Romance/Humor - Reviews: 18 - Published: 08-02-12 - Updated: 09-30-12

id:8387081

Darcy watched Loki take a sip from his tea. God, he was so proper. He had slipped on a pair of black rimmed glasses and had a large book clutched in his hands when she returned from the bathroom. "What are you reading?" She asked, seating herself next to him in the cramped coffee shop.

"Guilty pleasure." He put his tea down and tipped the book up so she could see the cover. A red dragon glared up at her.

"So, you really like fantasy. The next book has a great twist." She smiled. She had read the books when she was in high school and adored them.

"I generally like lots of things, except drama." He made a disgusted face. "I can write it, but having to deal with it." He took a deep breath. "I just want to reach in and strangle the characters." Darcy laughed. Conversation was so easy with him.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to go get a drink." She stood up but he grasped her arm.

"I'm finished with mine, you can have the rest." She smiled and took a sip of his drink. It was bitter but warm English breakfast. "So, tell me more about your job." He dog-eared his book and slipped it onto his lap.

"Nothing much to tell. On the side I write articles for a small home and garden magazine. Steve gives me input for it. You already know about my job at the book store."

"What's your favorite color?" He asked.

"Is this 20 questions?" She asked. "It's green."

"Cats or dogs?" He grinned.

"Cat's."

"If you could travel anywhere where would you go?"

"Definitely Australia."

He nodded and smiled. The two spent the rest of the time comfortably getting aquianted. An hour had passed and Loki's blackberry vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and frowned.

"Whose that?" Darcy peeked at him.

"My publisher, I'm supposed to have finished a new chapter today." He un-crossed his legs and reached back to grab his coat. "I'm afraid I will have to go write. Unless you can promise not to distract me, I can show you my special place." He wagged his eyebrows.

"I hope that is literal." She laughed.

"It is. It's in the countryside, maybe a half hour from here." He smiled at her.

The two drove down, out of the crawling streets on London. The city blurred by in the windows. It was quiet, and Darcy enjoyed the quiet music playing from the CD player. He had mellow taste in music, but occasionally a rock song would come on and he would quickly change it. Darcy stopped him when he went to change _Shoot to Thrill_, giving the excuse that it was one of Tony's favorite songs and she had grown accustomed to it. They stopped suddenly to turn onto a small road, glistening wheat on one side and tree's on the other. Darcy had always wondered what it would be like to run through a field of it, like in a perfume commercial. They pulled into a small lot with a car in it, a sign nearbye branded the forest as a nature reserve. Loki grabbed a satchel in the backseat and gave her a wink before they started down the path. It was a warm day, and Darcy pushed the sleeves of her jumper up. Loki led on, crossing over a small bridge, and taking a series of turns before he found what he was looking for.

"Wow." Darcy stared at the tree. It had knarled, low branches and a wide trunk. "Can we climb it?"

"Go ahead, I'll stay down here." He sat at the base and pulled his computer out of his bag. He opened it and took a deep breath before opening up a new document. Meanwhile, Darcy had climbed to a small pad near the top. She laid back and looked down at the write below. His long fingers ran along the keyboard in swift motions. She wished she could type like that. She remembered taking a class on how to type properly, but always reverted back to pecking. She sat there and he would call to her occasionally and she would respond. This was what she had needed, a break, a break from work and regularity. She began humming and he joined her. His typing increased and in a few moments he came to a stop and shut the computer. "Finished." She climbed down and sat next to him. "So, how do you like it here?" He asked.

"It's beautiful, I haven't been in the country for a while. What were you writing?"

"A romantic moment in my new book, but I'm horrid at writing romance."

"They say write what you know." Darcy laughed.

"That is a complete and utter lie." He laughed. "It just makes things a tad more difficult."

"Maybe, or you could just go out and experience all those things anyway." " Darcy leaned forward to plant a kiss on his cheek, but he pulled away and stood up.

"I'm sorry Darcy." He was frowning.

"No, I'm sorry, maybe I was too forward." Darcy apologized.

The two made their way back to the car and drove back in an awkward silence. Loki was a simple man, she would be suspicious if he wasn't so kind all the time. In her experiences men always were hiding something. Her mind reeled back to high school. She couldn't even remember what he looked like, but Jon was her first boyfriend. As it turned out he had another girlfriend in different school. Darcy hadn't been mad, just confused. What was wrong with just her? She met Tony senior year and they hit it off. She had a crush on him for a few weeks until he came out to her. She was surprised but not displeased. He found Steve their second year of university, and they all got a flat. Darcy dabbled in dating, the guys all turned out to be with her for one thing. Then she met Jane and she realized maybe she didn't need to be searching for a perfect boyfriend, they didn't exist. Jane was alone, and proud of it. Friendship was much more important than courtship. Well, that had been a year ago. And here he was, sitting in the car next to her, his hands on the wheel. She was waiting for something to go wrong, it always did. Why had he pulled away from the kiss? Was Loki gay?

They arrived at her house a few hours later and said their goodbyes. She had some research to do.

X- Today was mainly fluff. I'm trying to think of something juicy to be Loki's secret. Sorry I haven't been updating regularly, I've been pretty busy with a gallery opening , commissions, and art composition projects.

Love you all, -Nic.


	5. In Which Darcy is betrayed

Darcy didn't see it coming. It wasn't a huge shocker, she should have seen the signs. His pristine appearance, his driver, the way he had a private education. Maybe she should have read more about him before, or paid attention to the tabloids. Loki Odinson was the son of Duke Odinson. He wasn't just a popular writer, he was basically royalty. But this wasn't the reason she had almost fallen out of her computer seat. Loki Odinson was recently engaged to Sif Storm, the famous actress. Darcy feverishly googled pictures of them together, only to fall back into her seat with a moan. There were none, it must be a pretty well hidden relationship. Steve peeked his head inside to ask her a quick question, but found her with her head on her desk.

"What's up?" He asked. When she didn't answer he came up behind her to see what Google could have done to make her so depressed. "Shit." He murmured. Darcy sat up and wiped her eyes, Steve rarely cursed. "Tony!" He yelled. The shorter man appeared in a few moments with shaving cream on his face.

"What what is it?" Steve motioned to Darcy and Tony walked in to look at the computer screen. "That jackass, what the hell was he thinking? That bastard stayed in our house!" Tony ran his hands through his hair. "If he comes over here again I will…" He fumed and left the room while Steve pulled Darcy into a hug. Tony came back after finishing shaving and sat on the bed. "Did he, did he ever kiss you or anything?"

"No." Darcy managed to sniff out.

"Well, that isn't bad. At least he isn't a cheater."

"But still, Tony, we all felt the vibes. At least it was an arranged marriage." Steve interjected. "That means he doesn't necessarily love her, right?"

"It doesn't matter, that asshole led her on." Tony fumed.

"Don't be mad at him." Darcy said lamely, her voice tinted with sadness.

"You know what, forget him. We are going to go somewhere you love, get your mind off him."Tony grabbed a few clothes from Darcy's drawer. "Out of your pajamas, into the shower, and then we are going to go shopping at some rinky dink old stores you like."

"It's fine, I'll just hang out at the Tower, besides, I haven't talked to Clint in a while."

The Tower was Tony and Steve's restaurant. It was cozy, two stories tall, and ran with a maroon and gold theme. Darcy felt it was a second home, or at least a haven until she had to leave for work. Loki would be at work. He had mentioned he was working until Mrs. Rhyder was out of the hospital, and she hadn't left yet. What a joy it would be to see him.

The three pulled up to the restaurant an hour later, Darcy had her laptop in her bag and a cup of tea Tony had made for her earlier. She made herself comfortable at Tony's desk and began writing an article due in a few days for the magazine. This time she had to write about different sort of crafts one could do with their plant pots. Steve had offered a few of his ideas, and Darcy recorded them. It wasn't horribly boring, in fact it would have been fun to write if she didn't feel so crappy. Tony joined her and they worked in silence. He occasionally gave her worried looks, but she ignored him until she was finished.

Clint was obviously late, as always. The light brown haired head waiter rushed in after a few of the staff had shuffled in. "Sorry, sorry, sorry Tony. OH!" He exclaimed with a smile. "Darcy! Where have you been for the last few weeks, you must be busy." He had a lopsided smile that always comforted Darcy.

"Darcy was used by an asshole writer." Tony gave the condensed version of Darcy's situation.

"Damn Darcy, you need to pick them better." He frowned.

"TONY!" Steve called from the other room. Tony stood up with a jolt and went to assist him.

"So, about picking the right guys." Clint spoke up. "We should go out for dinner tonight. Just you and me, no asshole writers."

Darcy was stunned for a moment, but quickly nodded. "That sounds nice." Could she move on so quickly? She had before with the other guys, the other one's that led her on. But this was Loki, he hadn't been like the others.


	6. In Which there is love

"Nothing like some good writing to get your mind off a guy." Steve offered Darcy a cheese bun the restaurant was famous for.

"Thanks, did Tony go home?" She asked.

"Yeah, it wasn't as busy as we expected." He sat down across from her. "So, you have work in an hour, how's that goin to go?" He asked.

"I honestly don't know." She sent her polished document to the publisher and closed her laptop. "I guess I should confront him."

"How recent is this engagement? Do you think it's possible he was forced into it after he met you? I'm not sympathizing, just looking at all the variables. You don't want to blow up on him for something he can't help." He gave her a kind smile.

"Thanks Steve," Darcy bit into the bun while shoving her laptop into her backpack. "I'll see how I manage to get through the night. Did I tell you Clint asked me out?" She grinned.

"He's had a crush on you for a long time, be careful how you treat him." There was a knock on the door behind them and Steve got up to answer it. A medium height woman stood there with beautiful short red hair and a body to kill for.

"Hello, I'm Natasha, I called about an interview." She smiled politely, but her voice was very stern and serious.

"Oh, you'll be speaking with our head waiter, Clint. He does all the interviews, I'm Steve and this is Darcy." Darcy waved from the desk.

"Do you co-own the Tower?" Natasha asked, her brow furrowed.

"Oh, no no no," Darcy stood up, "Steve and Tony own it, I'm just the tag along." She laughed and grabbed her bag. "I'll be off." She kissed Steve on the cheek and made her way out. She would rather get to work early rather than interrupt business. The shop was only a few blocks away, so she was able to walk there without getting too tired. The shop was dark as she opened the door and dropped her backpack behind the dark mahogany counter. A note was stuck to the computer monitor. It was from a few days ago when Mrs. Rhyder needed to remember to re-arrange the romance section. Darcy decided to help, so she climbed the spiral staircase to the romance section. Austen, Bronte, Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, and Loki Odinson. His name stood out like a black sheep. One of the only male romance writers, and he didn't even know a thing about it! His weren't the type of books you could simply flip open to a random raunchy sex scene and giggle over. His were the type that didn't make a lick of sense unless you started from the beginning. The first of his most popular book series was clutched in her hand. The story was simple enough, it was about a man who had problems with enunciating his feelings, and the woman he loved never cared for him. She hadn't finished it yet, but so far the woman had gotten married and the man started going to counseling classes. They weren't even very romantic yet, maybe Darcy should finish it. She got caught up in the book, shimmying onto the narrow floor of the walkway above the rest of the store. Her back was against the cold bars of the railings, as she focused. An hour passed and the door jangled open, Darcy looked down and frowned. Speak of the devil.

"Darcy!" He called out. "Darcy we need to speak."

"About your fiancée?" she drawled in a sarcastic tone from above. His head snapped up to her and he frowned.

"Can we speak about this like civilized people?" He asked, taking off his coat. He had a tight button up shirt in black on.

"Am I not a civilized person?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows and staring down at him. "I figured the poor virgin could do with a good friend." She fumed. She knew the virgin bit was a little low, but he deserved it, right? She still regretted her words.

"Darcy, please, I don't give a shit about my supposed engagement." He frowned, his eyes wide. Darcy's face froze. Steve was right. "My father announced the engagement to the press yesterday, without my consent." He began walking up the spiral staircase to be with her.

"Loki I-…" Darcy was at a loss for words. He got onto one knee in front of her and leaned close in the cramped quarters.

"I don't give a damn what my father says." He whispered, his deep voice flowing over the words. "I only care about how I feel."

Darcy breathed him in, and she noticed his hair was still wet from a shower. "How do you feel?" She whispered back.

"This way." He closed the space between them and his lips brushed along hers. He pulled away and she met his eyes; bluish green with tiny pupils staring into hers. She smiled and pushed her lips onto his forcefully. His smile was easy to feel against her lips and the kiss became much more heated. A jangle pulled them apart and they looked down. A mother and two kids walked in, one of them looked close to crying. Loki stood up quickly, and pulled Darcy up.

"Oh my god!" the woman from below yelled, excitement so obvious in her voice. "Is there an authors signing today or something? Oh goodness." Her hand went to her chest.

"I can sign anything you want." Loki replied in a gravelly voice, obviously winded. The women smiled knowingly and Loki turned to Darcy with an adorable grin.


	7. In Which they plan

The woman was entranced with Loki and the two talked for what felt like hours. Darcy took the chance to show the children she was with their storybook collection. The two seemed enthusiastic about Disney princesses and transformers. Luckily Darcy was able to find a stack on each and the two sat in the children's corner on plush stuffed animals, noses buried in the books. When she returned to Loki the woman was gushing on the news of his engagement. She snuck a curious look at Darcy and Loki turned and held his arm out. "As you see, Brea, I already found someone." The woman put her hands up and clapped like a child as Darcy curled around his arm.

"Oh my God!" She gushed. "I knew Sif wasn't the one for you. She's so stern, too stern for a soft soul like you. There weren't even pictures of you two together! I knew you couldn't love her."

"I have only met Sif a few times, yet she did show quite the… interest in me." Loki drew his eyebrows and frowned. "But my father promising her such things was ridiculous. I do mean to speak with him tomorrow at a party he is holding."

"Oh God, you're story is better than any book." The woman, apparently named Brea smiled. "And I do hope it turns out well for you. Oh my goodness I can't believe I was so blessed to walk into this book store."

"The pleasure was all mine." Loki pulled his fan into a hug and the woman nearly swooned.

"Oh nice to meet you too, darling." Brea pulled Darcy into a hug that smelled of cinnamon and fruity perfume.

"Oh, yeah, you too." Darcy smiled crookedly.

The woman shuffled off after buying a few books for her kids. Loki had pulled up the sleeves on his black shirt and had his hands settled in his narrow waist. He finished putting the sales into the computer and Darcy went to finish organizing the romance section. "Do you want to talk about it?" Loki asked.

"Talk about what?" Darcy asked, even though she knew.

"Sif, because honestly it feels like the elephant in the room." He looked up at her. "Darcy, you have to understand that my family doesn't really take failure as an option. A son almost thirty who hasn't gotten married and whose occupation is considered an art form doesn't go over well with them. So when a famous actress shows interest in one of your children you sell that kid off without a moment's hesitation." He frowned and pulled his head back down to his work.

Darcy took a moment to take in the information. At least he didn't want to get married to her, but that didn't just change everything. "You've always obeyed your father haven't you?" Darcy asked, nearing the end of her book stack.

"Old habits die hard. I got by with such a powerful father by keeping my chin up and hanging on his every word." Loki smiled without it reaching his eyes. "He said I couldn't be a writer. That was the first time I disobeyed him, and the moment my brother became the golden boy. Quite literally, his hair is ridiculous." Loki chuckled. "He's a huge lummox, but he's always honest."

"What does he do?" Darcy asked.

"Professional football player, center midfield specifically; If he wasn't so popular my dad would be disappointed in him too."

"He doesn't find writing a noble profession?" Darcy argued and Loki answered her question with a raised eyebrow and quirked mouth.

"Now that we've established all of that, do you want to go to a dance tomorrow?" Loki turned stern. "Of course that means we may have a nasty confrontation with my father. Oh and you'll be needing a dress, my treat."

"No, Loki I honestly couldn't ask you to do that. I will go with you because it's the right thing to do, and I have plenty of dresses, don't worry about it." She went down the stairs and leaned on the counter.

"Are you sure, I would love to see you try some on." He wagged his eyebrows and Darcy giggled.

"Fine, but we're going somewhere I like."

After a few customers shuffled in and out they closed the shop around six and made their way down the shop cluttered with small shops. The night was busy with couples and friends walking by and laughing. Lampposts were dappled on the side of the streets, long strings of lights hung across them twinkling brightly. She went into a few shops and was able to find a tight dark green cocktail dress with lace sleeves and a curved neckline. They passed many restaurants and Darcy suggested they head to The Tower after shopping. Loki agreed and took her hand in his, his long fingers threading through hers'. Darcy blushed, her heart thumping embaressingly in her chest. She must have it bad, no man had ever made her feel this way by such a simple expression of love.


	8. In Which Clint finds someone

Clint served them with an obviously pissed off expression. Darcy almost kicked herself for not remembering what she had promised him. He was short and clipped when taking their orders and Tony noticed from the host podium. The shorter brunette man walked briskly over to Clint who was giving the order to the chef. They had a short conversation and Clint's shoulders seemed to relax minimally.

"Did I do something to anger him in another life?" Loki laughed uneasily.

"No, Clint asked me out tonight, and being the wreck I was, said yes." Darcy thought of apologizing, but Clint was already serving someone else. She would have to fix this.

"Well then, I understand why he was looking at me that way." Loki's brow was furrowed and he twiddled his straw between his long fingers. "We all do things without thinking."

"What did you make me out to be?" Loki asked, intrigued.

"I didn't tell him much." Darcy blushed and looked away from him, reading the dessert section.

"I'm trying to guess what anatomical part you compared me to." He prompted and scooted closer to her across the table.

"I'm not going to say it here." She giggled.

"So be it," He leaned back and Darcy felt as if a bubble had popped around her. If Loki wanted to try he could bring her into their own private world, with a few purrs and a little proximity. He seemed to notice her expression and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing, I just don't think you understand the effect you can have." She admitted.

"Coming from you!?" He bit his lip with a memory of her in the skintight green dress from earlier.

"You're bad." She giggled and leaned back to take a sip of her red wine.

"Only for you."

Clint sat at the empty bar, a beer clutched in his hands. Darcy had been one of his best friends for years now, and somewhere along the line he sort of fell for her. She was funny, sassy, beautiful, and had this comforting quality about her. He knew he was taking advantage of her and all he wanted was to be there for her. But when she had come in with that tall asshat with the slicked back black hair he knew it had been too good to be true. Girls like Darcy always fell for people who treated them badly. Tony had pulled him aside earlier to tell him to chill out, but that had made is worse. He took another sip of the bitter drink, he didn't even like beer. Could he be more textbook? Drinking because of a girl who turned him down. Maybe he should go into the country music business. Before he had noticed it the new waitress came to sit next to him. Her name was N- something. He hadn't been formally introduced yet, but she seemed very invested in her work.

"Are you going to stop sobbing over her or should I wipe down the bar later?" She asked in a Russian-British hybrid of an accent, one hand on her hip. He looked up at her once and she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, why don't you tell me what's wrong."

"I don't want to." He moped into the bottle.

"I'm Natasha." She stuck out her hand and he ignored it with a grunt. "Did she stand you up? Because if that's the case get over it, you're a catch. Look at that cute little button nose." She raised a perfectly manicured finger to tap the button-esque body part in question. He hit her hand away and downed the rest of his beer.

"Stay the hell away from me."

"Nice one." Natasha thought to herself as Clint walked away. "There goes the one man you actually care about." She had come to the Tower regularly since moving to Britain and she had seen Clint the first time and never forgotten him. Her father was a lawyer, and she had come here to study law. She didn't know what it was about Clint, but she had taken a fancy to him, and that was putting it lightly. When a job opened up she took it as a sign and took it. It was obvious he was caught up on this Darcy girl, and despite trying to use her sanity, Natasha couldn't help hate her. And she wasn't even into him, she was with the tall black haired guy who Clint looked like he wanted to deck in the mouth. It was sort of tragic in a way, nobody wanted to be with the one who loved them. It was the first time she had introduced herself and he already hated her. She took her hand off her hip and followed him, she didn't give up that easily.

"Hey, Clint!" She called out.

"I thought you had a counter to clean?" He asked.

"I-I," She found herself at a loss for words, entirely against her character. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" He asked, clearly frustrated with her.

"For being a shit to someone who just got their heart broken." Nat answered in a monotone voice.

"And how would you know I got my heart broken?" He clenched his teeth.

"Because I saw the way you looked at that girl today." She was beginning to get impatient. She wished she could just knock the memory of that girl out of his brain.

"Darcy is none of your business!" He slammed the door to his locker shut.

"She doesn't seem like any of yours either!" She bit back. "From the way I see it she has love, and it's no use to pine away at her, when you can be with someone who see's you differently!"

He just stared at her for a moment, and she realized how close they had gotten. He had a look in his eyes like he had finally woken up after sleeping for too long. He turned towards her, a sly grin curling onto his face. "Natasha, do you want to go get some pie?"


	9. In Which Natasha is stunned

Natasha lifted her fork, heavy with a chunk of warm apple pie. She usually didn't indulge in sweets but she didn't want to disappoint Clint, who at the moment was savoring a piece of blueberry. He hummed in his throat whenever he swallowed and Nat found it endearing. The small bakery they sat at was a popular spot for couples seeking a sweet treat at night.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"Yes, it's delicious." She smiled.

"So, err, are you from Russia?" He asked.

"I moved here when I was a teenager." She replied, taking another bite. She admonished herself for being so cryptic, she wanted to know Clint, and vice versa. "My Father is Dmitri Romanoff." She admitted, looking away.

"You're kidding me." He put down his fork and laughed. "Why are you working in a restaurant?"

"I don't have many friends, and I can't study forever." She shrugged.

"Oh, you go to school too?" He asked.

"Yah, I'm following in the steps of my Father."

"Lawyer then, that's very prestigious." He laughed and Nat noticed a crumb below his lips.

"You have a little-," She reached over with her thumb and wiped at the corner of his mouth. He reached up as well and his fingertips brushed the top of her hand. A shiver ran down her spine. "Sorry." She tried to pull away but he held her hand put and laughed as he slid his tongue to collect the bits of pie.

"Sorry." He let her go with a grin.

"What are you studying?" She asked, trying to distract him from her vicious blush.

"Don't laugh at me, but I want to be an actor."

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yah, I mean I've been an extra in a few important shows, but I want a real role."

"Why would I laugh at that?" She asked.

"I don't know, it's not a very realistic job is it? I mean Darcy always says I need to be more ruthless when-." He cut himself off at the mention of her name.

"Have you been friends with her for a long time?" Natasha inquired.

"Well, since I started working two years ago. She's an easy person to be friends with. So, what's it like having a famous father?" He asked, laying his hands on his thighs. Natasha was briefly distracted.

"Nothing special, he isn't the most caring father, but he always pushed me to succeed."

"Tough childhood?" Clint asked.

"I spent most of my time at boarding school then later at an academy downtown. Not much parental interaction." She shrugged and Clint frowned. "What about you, any family?"

"Yes," He grinned, "My mom and Dad live in Cardiff with my two little brothers and I have one older and one younger sister."

"Big family." Nat remarked and Clint's mouth softened.

"Yah, they're all great."

Natasha was distracted by a rumbling in her pocket. She looked down to see a message from her brother. She read it quickly and stood up abruptly. "Sorry," she grabbed her coat. "Emergency, I have to go."

"Oh well, I hope it's nothing bad." He stood as well, his brow furrowed.

"My brother is just having problems. It's nothing bad, I'm sure. I had a great time." She smiled and the two left together. In the parking lot they said their goodbyes, Clint pulled her into a hug and she settled into his warm arms before getting into her own car and leaving. Her brother had been found on the banks of the Thames, two bullets in his shoulder, passed out.

She pulled up to the hospital a few minutes later, parking in the expansive garage. He had really done it this time. The nurse at the front directed her to floor 5. Not urgent care, that was good. Room 234 was void of flowers and empty except the young red-haired man that laid on the hospital bed.

"Anton," Natasha called to him from the doorway. His head turned and smiled brilliantly at her before greeting her in Russian. "Dad making you do his dirty work again?"

"No, this wasn't a Dad job." Anton explained. "I got hired by the government this time, not at all as clean an operation as I had expected from the British."

"Crime syndicate, Drug dealers, or terrorist plot?" Nat joked, moving to sit beside Anton.

"Nuclear launch codes." He chuckled dryly.

"Can't talk about it?" Now she was intrigued.

"Classified information, Ms. Romanoff."

"Too classified for me, Mr. Romanoff?"

"Definitely too classified." He closed his eyes and laid back.

"You're really gonna do this?" Nat's eyes narrowed. "I was trained on how to bring people to the brink of death through torture."

"Ok _Dad_." He rolled his eyes. "I'm shot Natasha, bullets entered my body, have some sympathy."

"Let me see." She moved closer to his bandages. He had been sown up in two small circles an inch apart. "What did the doctors say?"

"Minor tissue damage, bullet grazed the joint, no important veins abused. Four weeks bed rest."

"Was the mission completed?"

"I'd like to think so. I had a partner, some British guy. Barton something. Wonder if he's ok. Natasha?"

She had frozen, eyes wide. "Barton? Brown hair, average height?"

"Yah, wait, do you know him?" He tilted his head.

"I thought I did."


End file.
